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Rioja Report 2025: Fresh reds

Rioja and oak go hand-in-hand but the region's winemakers are also recapturing an early-drinking style alive with herbs and fresh red berry fruit.

Those first aromas, that first sip. Blueberry fruit, red berries, rose petals and wild mountain herbs. This is Rioja.

When a wine transports you to this wild and beautiful landscape, it bathes you in the warm, soft glow of pure joy and pleasure – drinking becomes an emotional experience.

The genérico category – wines without an age-related classification such as reserva or gran reserva – was easily the largest of this tasting, and it was where we encountered some of the most exciting wines.


Scroll down for notes and scores of the tasting’s best fresh reds



Rioja Report 2025: Best of the fresh reds


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